Bachelor thesis

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This thesis is written by four students at the University of Mannheim with aim to examine growth potential for Stressless within niche markets.

Stressless is a high-end relaxing brand produced by the Norwegian furniture company Ekornes. Stressless is represented in the German market through Ekornes Möbelvertriebs GmbH who is a wholly owned sales-office located in Hamburg. Internal analysis was applied to get a holistic view of the company and their strengths and weaknesses. The external environment was mapped out using external analysis.

Qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to gather information about the company, its customers and the customers’ perceptions regarding the brand. A marketing mix analysis was performed to find similarities or un-similarities of how Stressless views their marketing mix compared to how customers views their marketing mix. Based on empirical findings, possible line extensions were evaluated.

To summarize the findings from internal and external analysis, a SWOT-analysis was applied. Based on the findings in the SWOT-analysis and empirical studies, a discussion is performed to derive potential for growth, as well as determining the risks in the market.

Based on the discussions, managerial implications and final recommendations are provided. Increased focus on design and increased focus on word-of-mouth was recommended to more efficiently harvest the willingness to recommend. A potential line extension in form of office chairs was suggested for further research.